


Loving Olivia

by alexlovesolivia



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28395864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexlovesolivia/pseuds/alexlovesolivia
Summary: To know Olivia is to love her. Snippets of Olivia's life with the two women who love her the most. (Starts with Olivia's childhood and then her relationship with Alex)
Relationships: Olivia Benson/Alexandra Cabot
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. February 1968

**February 1968**

It was a cold and rainy day in February when Serena first brought her daughter home. Unlike the other new moms in the maternity wing, Serena didn’t have a husband by her side or even any family members stopping by to bring flowers or gifts for the baby. In fact, her only visitor was her best friend Elizabeth Cabot. Serena met Elizabeth when she was a senior and Serena was a freshman pledging Elizabeth’s sorority. Slightly over three years had passed since Serena last wore a pledge pin, but it had felt like an eternity for her. When she found out she was pregnant during the end of her junior year, her sorority sisters turned on her, all except for Elizabeth who had gotten married shortly after graduation and found out she was pregnant just a few months after Serena did.

Mr. and Mrs. Benson knew their daughter had been raped and that her pregnancy was a result of that rape and not her being careless with a member of a fraternity, so they offered to pay for her abortion regardless of what it cost. Serena was a beautiful young woman and, although she was smart and talented, the real reason why they sent her to a prestigious university was to meet a young man from a family with a similar background to theirs and get married after graduation. 

“No man will want to marry a woman who had her rapist’s baby,” Mrs. Benson told her daughter when Serena confided in her that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to have an abortion.

“I’m not having my rapist’s baby,” Serena argued. “I’m having  _ my _ baby. He or she is currently growing inside of me and it’ll be me that shapes his or her personality and morals, not the man who attacked me.”

Her mother placed her hand on top of hers and Serena was shocked by the first act of affection her mother had shown her since she was a small child. “Serena, you are going to be a great mother someday, but this is not the baby you are meant to be a mother to. This  _ thing _ is not our grandchild and you  _ will  _ be getting rid of it next week.”

The day of her appointment came and went and, when Serena failed to show up at their house, it was the final straw for her parents. They agreed to help her financially, but they no longer wanted to see her or meet the baby that they claimed would ruin the Benson name. 

That summer, Serena moved out of her sorority house and into a studio apartment and spent all of her free time reading parenting books to help her prepare for her baby. Serena wanted a girl and she chose her baby girl’s name while reading Shakespeare’s  _ Twelfth Night _ . 

Elizabeth’s mother had told her, “Childbirth is the most excruciating pain a woman can go through, but it’ll all be worth it the moment you hold your baby.”

...and on that first night when Olivia was home with her and they were sitting by the window listening to the sound of the falling rain, Serena realized she was right. 

“Olivia Margaret Benson, I can’t believe you’re finally here” she said softly to her baby girl who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. “I’m sorry you weren’t brought into this world in the traditional way, but regardless of how you were conceived, you’re  _ my  _ baby and you have nothing to do with him. You’re so innocent, my sweet Olivia, and you’ve already helped me heal more than I ever thought possible.”

As much as she wanted to hold Olivia all night, she knew she’d eventually have to place her in her crib. “I never believed it was possible to love someone this much,” she said to Olivia as she watched her sleep. “I can’t tell you what life has in store, but I promise to always be the mommy you deserve.”


	2. August 1968

**August 1968**

For the first time in the six months since she had given birth to her, Serena was going to leave Olivia. She had taken the fall semester off from school because she was pregnant, the spring semester when Olivia was born and, although Elizabeth Cabot had offered to watch Olivia while Serena was in summer school, she still insisted on taking the summer off as well. For months, Serena spent most of her time in her apartment bonding with her baby and, when the weather was warm, they spent their time together in Central Park with Elizabeth and Alex. Olivia was her world and being with her daughter was when she felt the most at peace, but late August brought the start of the fall semester and Serena knew if she wanted to graduate there was no more putting off school any longer.

“Serena Benson, I don’t want to hear any more excuses,” Elizabeth told her while she lingered in the living room of the Cabot residence. “You took an entire year off, but now it’s time to go back and finish your senior year. If not for you, do it for Olivia. She wants her mom to get her B.A. and then go to graduate school and become Professor Benson and show her that her mom is strong enough to overcome anything.”

Serena held Olivia close, giving her kisses on the cheek that made her six-month-old giggle and squeal. “Do you want to stay with your best friend Alexandra while mommy goes to school?” she asked her daughter in a playful voice. “Mommy loves you so much, Olivia, and I’ll be here to pick you up in four hours.”

Knowing that Olivia would be spending more time there, Elizabeth had purchased a large playpen and padded it with a cushion for the girls’ naptime. Alex may have only been three-months-old but she was able to recognize her best friend’s face. She’d smile and squeal whenever she saw Olivia and that morning was no different.

“You know what, Serena, if you had a boy instead of a girl, I’d say Alexandra was trying to sweet talk her future husband,” Elizabeth said. Her gaze was fixed upon the two baby girls who were now in the playpen and, just as she always did, Alex squealed and cooed at the sight of Olivia.

Serena reached in to adjust the floral headband her daughter was wearing. It resembled a flower crown and Serena considered it the perfect accessory for her little flowerchild. “Or maybe she’s sweet-talking her future wife. Love is a beautiful thing and my daughter will be free to love whomever she chooses.”

“Serena!” Elizabeth laughed. “What happened to the girl who used to go to Young Republicans meetings with me?”

“She freed herself from her parents’ mindset,” Serena responded. “All my life, I’ve lived by my parents’ rules. Their ideologies were my ideologies. I tried to be the ideal daughter and look where it got me. Yes, they send me money every month, but neither of my parents have talked to me since I told them I wasn’t going to have an abortion. Besides, they claim to be against abortion, so why was it okay for them to practically force me to get one? From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I hoped I’d have a daughter, just like you did. Now that we have them, don’t you want something more for them－more than what we had? Don’t you remember what it was like for little girls when we were growing up?”

“Don’t get your dress dirty,” Elizabeth wagged her finger at Serena and used a mocking tone of voice. “Proper young ladies are not to roughhouse with the boys.”

Serena laughed as she used the same mocking tone that Elizabeth used. “Sugar and spice and everything nice－that’s what little girls are made of.” She shook her head. “Oh, I absolutely hated that my brothers were able and even encouraged to climb trees and run around outside while I was kept indoors and told to play with baby dolls and tea sets. It’s as if everything I was encouraged to play with was all in preparation for me to become a mother and then I become a mother and this is how they treat me.”

Serena then felt the comfort of Elizabeth’s embrace. “That’s because you didn’t become the kind of mother they wanted you to be. You’re not June Cleaver. You’re not some ‘50s style housewife, but it no longer matters what they want. Be the kind of mother  _ you  _ want to be. Wear that daisy in your hair and that peace sign medallion with pride and give Olivia all the little flowers you want to.”

“Look at them, Lizzie,” Serena said as she gazed adoringly at the two little ones. “The world out there is changing and they’re so innocent and so blissfully unaware. I want my Olivia－I want both of them－to grow up knowing they can accomplish anything and that being a girl isn’t something to be ashamed of. They don’t have to be docile or agreeable. They can be loud, fight back, and take up as much space as they want to. Our girls can have it all and I know they’re going to be something special.”

It was now five minutes past the time she was supposed to leave, but Serena didn’t care. She picked up her little girl one last time so she could give her some goodbye kisses and cuddles.  _ My Olivia. As much as I want you to stay this little, I’m so excited to see who you become. _


End file.
